The latent structure of emerging cognitive abilities: an infant twin study.

Abstract

It is well known that genetic factors account for 20% to 70% of variability in cognition from childhood to adulthood. However, less is known about the first year of life. This study investigated the etiological factors influencing individual variability in different domains of emerging cognitive and motor abilities in early infancy, and to what extent genetic and environmental influences are unique or shared across different domains. We compared multivariate twin models built on scores from the five scales of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) in a community sample of monozygotic and dizygotic twins at 5 months of age (n=567). The results indicated a hierarchical etiological structure whereby a general genetic component accounted for 54% of shared variance among different domains of emerging cognitive and motor abilities. We discuss implications of this common etiological factor, which we term infant g, on early brain processes and cognitive development.

Genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in visual attention and oculomotor control in early infancy

“…While some twin studies on psychometric traits (i.e. IQ) suggest significant contributions from shared environment in early life 39,40 our results are in line with those from previous twin studies of eye movements and of early cognitive ability in infants 60 reporting none or marginal influence of shared environment 11,23,24,58,59 .…”

Факторы, Влияющие На Психомоторное Развитие Детей: Перспективы Междисциплинарного Подхода

“…Важно отметить, что хотя генетическая предрасположенность играет роль, окружающая среда также может модифицировать проявление этих генетических характеристик. Поэтому крайне важно учитывать как генетические, так и окружающие факторы при изучении моторики и когнитивного развития у детей [15,16,17]. Понимание роли генетики в этом развитии ключево для разработки персонализированных подходов к образованию, реабилитации и вмешательству на основе индивидуальных генетических особенностей.…”